Upharsin (Hastings' Dictionary)

See Mene, Mene, Tekel, Uphar- SIN. UPHAZ (TEAK ; in Jer 10» Mw^df, Q"* Zoi«pflp, Vulg. Oj>haz; in Dn 10» Theod. 'fi^df; Vulg. [aurum\ obrizum). — There is considerable uncer- tainty as to this word, which is much increased by the diverse opinions of the ancient authorities.

Thus LXX has in Dn 10° koI rijf 6ii<pvv Trepitfaxr- IjAvoi ^vafflvi^, Kal iK fxiaov airrov 0wy instead of Theodotion's Kai ij daipiis avrov trfpiei^uatUi'Tj iv xpvffttp 'n^df, implying considerable divergence as to the reading. The Vulg. auriim obrizum is evidently based upon a comparison of the Heb. form of Upliaz with 19 pdz, ' pure gold,' whilst the Gr. Mu(/>df implies some such variant reading as i;i3 miiphaz, ' pure,' said of gold, though the Gr.

trans- lator of Jer 10 regarded this, like its variant Opliaz, as the name of a place. On the other hand, the mention of gold in both passages where the word occurs, naturally caused other translators to think of ipx Opliir, from which the Ileh. form of Upliaz (without the vowel-points) dill'ers only in having i for i.* It is apparently this which has given rise to the Gr. var. -ovtptip (see art. Opiiir) in t,>"'8 (so also the Targ. and Pesh.)

Among the conjectures as to the position of Uphaz may be mentioned that of Ilitzig, that it may be the Sanskr. vip&^a (' the free'), designating an Indian colony from tho neighbourhood of the IIyplia.sis ( = llyphas = Uphaz) or Indus (Sanskr. viptl<;a), which had settled in Yemen — an ideutilication which has been described as 'more acute than probable.' LiTBitATCRB. — Calwer Bibetlexikort, and Uiehm, Bandirdrter- '««''. •■"• T. G. Pincues.